Dreams Shared
by Modul
Summary: Misty unexpectedly appears in Ash's homecoming. What happens when she tells him that she sold her gym!
1. An Unexpected Visitor

Disclaimer: Pokemon is owned by Nintendo.

Thanks for the people who reviewed my first fanfic "A Prior Meeting" (Pete the Rock, Rogue ninja, Fire-Star Studios, and Steveaaml) and the one who put it in their community (fictiongurl3553). It's only a day old, and I feel so lucky to get those reviews.

Well, here's another (it's summer, you know?) that I hope can be 4 or more chapters.

Dreams Shared

The weak and feeble Ash Ketchum almost collapsed on the ground until he caught the sight of a huge windmill that could only mean one place in the world. He had to lower his cap – which would protect his eyes from the merciless sun as of late– but nonetheless, he had the perfect view of the town that marked his first step of becoming a Pokemon master. He wasn't really sure if he was walking in the right direction, but being _exactly _as he remembered it, it was confirmed that Pallet Town was just paces away. Before advancing any further, he just stood there and embraced the feeling that could only be described as 'home'.

"We're almost there Pikachu! Straight to Mom's house!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu bolted immediately leaving Ash in the dust.

"Wait for me Pikachu! Mom is not going anywhere…"

But Pikachu decided going to a different route. Instead of passing through Professor Oak's lab – which would be the most time efficient path – he strayed off to the shopping district of town where Ash was forced to follow. But Ash seemed to have reached his limits as the gap between him and Pikachu began to increase.

"_Maybe if I just go home, Pikachu will follow…"_ thought the energy-deprived Ash.

But at that moment Ash heard a scream…from a _very_ familiar voice. Ash pedaled himself further to where the sound had originated, worrying if Pikachu had accidentally startled one of the shoppers. He was thinking of a convincing apology speech until he saw the person holding Pikachu in her arms.

"I didn't think you'd be coming so soon, Ash…" said the person who turned out to be Misty.

"Misty! Uh…when…what are you doing here?"

"Hi to you too…" she said dully.

"Oh hi…sorry Misty but it's a big surprise seeing _you_ here."

She let out a giggle to show that she was just messing with him. Together they walked to Ash's house – each with one huge grocery bag to carry – and Ash was still puzzled why Misty was at Pallet Town doing the shopping for his mom.

"What's in the bags?" said Ash as he tried to peel off the tape that sealed the opening.

"No don't! You don't want to spoil the surprise, do ya?"

"A surprise?"

"Well, aren't you expecting one? You just placed top 8 in the Hoenn League…expect a party soon."

When the two of them finally arrived at the door, Misty stared at Ash with a piercing glare and there was a silence from Ash that lasted a little too long for Misty's taste.

"Well…?"

"'Well…' what?"

"You _do_ have a key, right?"

"Well…you know…I'm never here…so…"

Misty took this as a 'no', so she reached the inside of her backpack and pulled out her own copy of the key and placed it inside the knob.

"_What! She has her own key now?" _thought Ash.

Delia tried to rush in front of the door but she already knew she was too late, "Hey Misty you're here! Did you get everything on the list? Hi Ash I didn't see _you_ there!"

Ash maintained his confused face as to why Misty had her own key, so he decided to just simply ask. "Misty? Since when did you own a key to our house?"

Misty stumbled slightly, and then glared at Ash even harder than before. "How rude Ash Ketchum! I haven't seen you in…how long? You keep asking me these questions and you haven't even once said hi to me yet?"

"Y-Yes I did…don't you remember?"

Misty just shrugged and decided to carry _both_ bags inside all by herself. Ash was surprised by Misty's unnecessary outburst and felt like she was hiding something from him.

.::.

Later that night at the party…

The party had everything a trainer can ask for. There was a huge feast that Ash's mom had cooked especially for him, streamers that glided across the room, and a heavily decorated banner that said 'Pallet Town's Favorite Trainer.' It took Ash awhile to figure out that the sign was referring to him. Anyways, it was a huge celebration with almost everybody from Pallet Town attending. Some of the more noteworthy guests included Professor Oak and Tracy, with Delia and Mr. Mime of course. But Ash was skeptical with Misty's arrival since the very beginning. _"Doesn't she have a gym that she needs to look after?"_ Ash thought.

"Cake time!" Delia announced as she set down a three layer cake filled with strawberries and vanilla ice cream before her son. Ash didn't say anything as he shoved a handful in his mouth before offering anybody else a piece.

"Thanks mom! This is delicious!"

"Don't thank me Ash. Misty made that one with her own two hands."

When Ash first heard that Misty was the one that made the cake, the taste had suddenly shifted from sweet and subtle to sour and awful. He wasn't really sure why, it tasted just fine until now. Perhaps it was the aftertaste. Nonetheless, he ate the whole cake for the sake of not getting pulverized by Misty who sat just inches away.

"You really think it's delicious Ash?" said Misty over his shoulder.

But when some of the cake accidentally fell out of Ash's mouth, he winced as he anticipated Misty's reaction. It was exactly as he predicted as Misty yelled at Ash at the top of her lungs and smacked Ash along the side the head.

"I think we better go…" said Professor Oak as he and the rest of the guests scurried out of there as fast as they all could.

"Bye! Thank you all for coming!" said Delia, waving them a goodnight.

.::.

Near bedtime…

"_So Misty is also spending the night huh…" _Ash thought as he and Misty went up to his bedroom.

Ash excitedly opened his door, hoping to go to bed, until he got his biggest surprise of the night.

"WHAT?!?!?!" Ash screamed at sight.

The walls of Ash's bedroom were painted pink…his bed was now covered in sheets with patterns of flowers…his closet with now filled with girl clothing and girl shoes…there was a tea set on the shelf above his desk…his dirty black computer chair was replaced with a furry beanbag chair…the curtains were purple…there were girly stickers all over the place…in short, his room was feminized.

"I-Is this _my_ room?" stuttered Ash due to his state of shock.

"Um yeah…about that…" Misty said trying to explain things.

More and more questions continued to enter Ash's head and started to clutter his old ones... _"Why is Misty here?"… "Why does Misty have her own key?"… "Doesn't Misty have a gym that she needs to take care of?"… "Why is she staying here for the night?"… "What happened to my room?"… _

Misty started to have a serious look on her face as she gathered the courage to say something, _"_Um…Ash? I'm ready to start traveling with you again."

After that final statement, too much stuff was going on in Ash's mind and he started to faint. There was the familiar 'swirl' in his eyes.

When Ash finally awoken, he first noticed the ice pack on his forehead before he noticed Misty watching over him intently. For an instant, he forgot why he fainted in the first place. Then as his memory was slowly coming back to him, the headache was coming back too. Ash cringed.

"Don't get up…" Misty spoke softly.

But when Ash soon realized that he was lying down on the bed with the flower sheets, he sprang up as quickly as he could despite being told not to.

"Ash, you idiot! Your migraine is going to get even worse now…" Misty responded.

"It hurts…really bad."

At that moment, Misty felt remorse. "I'm sorry. I guess it was a bad time to ask that question huh?"

Ash suddenly remembered as his headache was at its all-time worse. He was able to concentrate enough to respond, "Yeah…what was that all about anyway?"

Misty sighed, "You're mom was nice enough to let me stay here…and she said I could stay in your room until you got back."

"About how long have you been here?"

"About a week…"

Ash was stunned. _"So that explains the key…and the decorations in my room…"_

"Why do you need to stay here anyway, Mist? Don't you have a responsibility at the gym?" said Ash, though he was scared if Misty would have another outburst at this.

She did not. Instead, she had a glum expression with a sullen tone in her voice.

"I…I don't have a gym anymore…"

"What do you mean 'you don't have a gym'?"

"me… me and my sisters… we _sold_ it."

**To Be Continued**

That was a big shocker in the end, wasn't it? Yeah yeah I know this chapter sucks…but every story needs a beginning, right?

Don't worry…I have the whole story outlined and it WILL get better. Why is it called Dreams Shared? There will be a battle in it, just so you know :)

Here's a warning: this story won't have much romance...borderline romance at the most (hugging, comforting each other, etc.) but there will be no hooking up :(

PS: I know that Misty isn't _that _girly and wouldn't have such a girly room, but I thought it was something that can brighten this chapter up some.

Gotta Catch Ya Later…


	2. A Happy Misty

Ash tried to clean out his ears to make sure he was hearing correctly. He wasn't prepared to hear such words coming from Misty and he wasn't sure if he believed her. The truth hurt… but all the pieces seemed to fit together perfectly.

"Why on Earth would you sell your gym?"

"Well…the gym has a poor win-lose ratio. And it's gone to the point where we can no longer be certified by the Pokemon League as an official Pokemon Gym."

But Ash still had his doubts. He knew Misty was a great water Pokemon trainer, and she couldn't have lost _that_ many battles…at least not to the point of getting kicked out of the League. He had the mental image of Misty struggling battle-after-battle, but he quickly dismissed the thought as he couldn't stand the sight of her losing. Then he realized something.

"A trainer like you could have never lost that many battles! How long has that win-lose ratio thingy been intact?" asked Ash eagerly.

"Well…a long time…ever since me and my sisters have been gym leaders…"

Ash knew it. "Well, didn't your sisters give out badges for free before you were in charge?"

Misty gave him a nod as she knew what he was going to ask next.

"Shouldn't the record reset itself or something…you know…now that you're the main gym leader?"

Misty shook her head. "We – the Sensational Sisters – are entered as a group of four. I was still a gym leader back then as well…and just because I'm in charge now…it doesn't make a difference…"

Ash couldn't help but feel sad for Misty. He knew it had been her dream to become the very best water Pokemon trainer… and her losing the gym doesn't help the cause. He tried to think of some other loophole that can prove the gym was still Misty's, but no more ideas came to mind. He was at the end of his wits where he had to just acknowledge Misty's loss and accept it.

"Misty…"

But Misty gave a reassuring smile that changed the atmosphere in Ash's room and said, "It's gonna be okay, Ash. Look at the bright side…I'll get to travel with you again. It'll be just like old times!"

When Ash saw the silver lining of the situation, he was filled with joy. "That's right! 'just like old times'."

The two of them gave a chuckle. Then after a long duration of nothing but silence, they took their beds and gave their goodnights. Ash had decided to let Misty continue using his bed while he and Pikachu slept in a sleeping bag on the floor. Misty slept contently and was looking quite comfortable in the bed she had been sleeping in for the past week…while Ash still had his mind stuck on Misty's huge debacle.

"_Maybe I should do something nice for her?" _thought Ash.

.::.

The next day…

Ash was standing on top of Misty's bed – well, technically it was _his _– as he tried his best not to wake her up while he peeled off all the girly stickers that infested his wall. He was almost done peeling the last of the four stickers that hung over her bed until he accidentally stepped on Misty's leg.

"Ouch! Wha…Ash? What are you doing?!" screamed Misty in pain.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

When Misty could finally open her eyes, she noticed that the room had drastically changed from a pink girlish interior to a dirty blue cave better suited for a boy. She stared at Ash with a suspicious glare.

"Ash…that really hurt."

"Sorry Misty…I just wanted to take off these stickers. I didn't mean to wake ya."

"Take off the stickers?"

"Well yeah…you said you were just gonna stay here until I got back, right?"

"I-I guess I said something like that… But couldn't you wait until I woke up first?"

"I know…but I wanted this to be a surprise."

"_A surprise? What kind of surprise? A surprise that involves kicking me out?" _Misty thought to herself.

Ash carried a tray over to Misty – which contained scrambled eggs, French toast, and a steaming hot cup of tea – that had been resting on his desk to cool. He fluffed Misty's pillow and set the tray carefully on her lap. Misty just stared in awe at the wonderful breakfast presented before her. Then she finally came to her senses to try a bite.

"Wow Ash! This is great! Remind me to thank your mom later…" Misty said in response.

"Uh…actually…I made that for you."

Misty suddenly lowered her head in depression. _"Is Ash… a better cook than me…"_ she thought.

"Is there something wrong? Are the eggs not cooked enough?" Ash asked worriedly.

As bad as Misty wanted to it to be…she couldn't deny that it was cooked to perfection. The eggs were not too runny, but not too crispy…the French toast tasted like something out of a famous restaurant…and the tea had the perfect balance of lemony and sweet. She thought she was about to cry for a second, realizing how unfair the world was.

Instead she replied truthfully, "It's fine Ash…thank you."

Ash took a relieving sigh before he suddenly had a very intimidating look on his face. It was not common for Misty to see Ash look like that. The only times he would use such a serious face is during a close gym battle or if he was in the same room as Gary. This frightened Misty a bit.

"Misty…can we go outside?" Ash spoke sternly.

Misty decided it was best to not disagree as she rose up off the bed and got dressed in her usual attire. Ash – who was already dressed – waited outside for Misty patiently. Misty grabbed her backpack and opened the door to see Ash and Pikachu on the street standing next to two bicycles. Misty looked up to see how beautiful the day was before trotting herself closer to Ash.

"How 'bout a bike ride?" asked Ash with a more cheery expression on his face.

Misty took the bike that belonged to her as she saw Ash mounting himself on a bike she'd never seen before.

"Ash! Do you mean after all this time…of you owing me a bike…you've always had one of your own that you never use?!"

"Settle down Misty…this is my mom's bike. I'm just gonna borrow it."

Misty was relieved to hear him say that… or else she would've never let Ash forget what was coming to him. The two trainers were both ready to ride off until Delia came running outside in a worrying fashion.

"Bye Ash! Bye Misty! Ride safely, you two!" said Delia, waving at their departure.

"We will," said Ash and Misty at the same time.

"And Ash…be careful with _my_ bike! Misty told me what you did to hers… so don't burn it, 'kay?"

Ash winced as he pedaled faster for the sake of any further embarrassment. Misty just gave a giggle as she put no effort to keep up. She just continued to ride at a moderate pace – with Pikachu in her basket – as Ash was forced to slow down to not lose track of them. When Ash was finally at a comfortable distance away from his mom, he was grateful that Misty wasn't mad at him with the mention of her bike. In fact, she seemed to be as happy as he'd ever seen her. Ash just hoped to keep Misty on her good side before she learns that the _real_ reason he had brought her here was not just for a fun bike ride around town. They continued to have a conversation while riding.

"Wow Ash…your hometown sure is beautiful…" said Misty as she saw the numerous flowers that grew across the fields.

"I know, right?" Ash agreed, though this was really the first time he'd actually noticed. It really _was_ beautiful and he felt lucky to have grown up in such a place. The next time he would introduce himself as 'Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town', he would say it with pride.

"So when did you become so…_entertaining_?" said Misty. She really wanted to say _romantic_, but she feared that that would be revealing too much.

"I…" said a blushing Ash.

Ash stopped his bike, and Misty followed suit. It was time. She was so happy…but it was time for that to end.

"Misty…about the gym…" Ash mentioned.

Ash was right. Misty's happiness started to fade away as sadness took over.

"I don't want to talk about it," Misty said back sternly.

"Misty…do you think it's possible to get it back?"

She gave Ash a glare that he had gotten used to a long time ago, "You know we can't…it's finished. Done."

"C'mon there has to be a way. You said it's only been a week. Where are your sisters in all this?"

"My sisters are at Cerulean. They begged Tucker – the man who bought our gym – for jobs. Daisy works as the gym referee…Lily works as a cleaning lady…while Violet is his personal chef."

"What! Who is this 'Tucker' guy anyway?!" Ash's voice had turned from innocent to vengeful.

"He…" Misty paused, "…is the most horrible man in the world! You should see the way he treats my sisters. I couldn't be a part of that…so I ran away to Pallet…and your mom was so kind…" Misty was drifted to tears.

Ash had no idea it was _this_ bad. Then he realized something.

"So why did you sell it to that guy if he's so horrible?" asked Ash.

"He…gave the best offer…which wasn't really much," Misty said, "The worst part is…he didn't seem this bad when we first met him."

Ash looked confused, "What do you mean?"

Misty continued, "Well…he said that he'd turn the gym's reputation around. And that he loved water-type Pokemon."

"_Does_ he love water-type Pokemon?"

Misty shook her head, "On the contrary, he removed water-type Pokemon _altogether_ from the Cerulean gym."

**To Be Continued**

Well, this chapter pretty much gives the whole background to the story.

Now, what do you think Ash will do? How will Misty feel about his decision? Why is it still called 'Dreams Shared'?

Gotta Catch Ya Later…


	3. A Promise From Ash

"So this 'Tucker', he's the gym leader now?"

Misty nodded.

"Well…I guess I'll have to challenge this guy for a badge!" said Ash, a little _too_ excited forgetting Misty's feelings for a moment.

"What?! How can you think of badges at a time like this?!"

"Don't worry Misty…somebody has got to teach that guy a lesson. There is _no_ way I'm gonna let him get away with this." Ash stared into Misty's eyes, and she knew immediately that he wasn't going to fail.

Although Ash had a weird way of showing it, he really did care and Misty was thankful nonetheless.

"T-Thank you Ash…" Misty responded in gratitude.

"And I swear…one way or another…I will get your gym back. You'll be a gym leader again before you know it!"

But Misty froze at this remark. There was something about this whole situation that Ash was not aware of. Misty wanted to 'teach that guy a lesson' as much as Ash did…but she was also happy with the opportunity to travel with him again. Selling the gym was the perfect excuse to return to Ash without admitting any true feelings. But sadly, she felt that Ash was not as enthusiastic as she was about the idea of traveling together. In fact, he was trying to stop it from happening.

"_He seems a little _too_ determined to get my gym back…"_ Misty thought.

Ash pointed to the direction of Cerulean City and shouted confidently, "You better watch out Tucker! 'Cause Ash Ketchum is coming for ya!"

However, they did not leave right away. First Ash and Misty had to return to the house and ask Delia for permission…but it wasn't as easy as it sounded.

"What! you're leaving again! You just got here yesterday!" Delia was trying to hold back her tears, but failing miserably.

"Don't cry mom…I'll be back soon…" Ash said to comfort his lament mother.

"_Only_ you? What about Misty?"

"Misty's gonna return to her gym…I promised her that I'll get it back."

Delia looked baffled, "Ash…don't make promises that you can't keep."

"I know mom…"

Luckily Misty wasn't in the room as she had been packing her stuff for the long journey ahead of them. She was folding the last of her clothes when she noticed that every last sticker was taken off the walls in Ash's room. _"Is he just trying to get rid of me?"_ thought Misty.

Misty arrived downstairs with a suitcase at hand, looking down trying to hide her wretched face.

"Misty what's wrong? We're getting your gym back…shouldn't you be happy?" Ash said encouragingly.

What the ironic thing was…the more Ash tried to cheer up Misty, the more it depressed her. Misty gave a big fake smile that seemed to fool Ash, but it did not fool Delia.

"_Oh Misty…this must be hard for you…"_ thought Delia, as if her woman's intuition knew exactly what was going on in Misty's head.

As Ash and Misty were ready to leave on their bicycles, they waved a long goodbye to Mrs. Ketchum. They once in a while had conversations during the trip – mostly about the things they saw along the way such as Professor Oak's Lab or a wild Pokemon – all of which were started by Misty, hoping to take her mind off what the future had in store. But as they left Pallet Town, there was mostly silence for the rest of the way. But even with a couple of stops, it didn't take too long to arrive in Cerulean City. Misty led the way to the gym and Ash was surprised to see that it looked exactly the same as before. It looked like a merry-go-round with candy cane pillars…a dewgong in the center…and carved letters on top that read 'Cerulean City Gym'. They wasted no time as they entered the gym without delay.

"You missed a spot you lazy girl!" A short stubby bald man with shades scolded Lily.

Lily didn't know what spot he was talking about, so she just continued scrubbing everything she saw.

"Are you blind! You still didn't get it!"

"Sorry Tucker!" Lily yelped out in panic.

"That's enough!" Ash interrupted, with a roar that echoed across the gym.

Tucker turned around with a calm exterior and gazed at Misty, completely ignoring Ash's cool entrance.

"I didn't think I'd see you again…" said Tucker, eyes still locked on Misty.

Misty, with her hatred building up enormously, was about to speak until Ash butted in.

"Don't talk to her! How dare you treat Misty and her sisters like this!" Ash said boldly.

"…And who the heck are you!" said Tucker, finally acknowledging Ash's presence.

"I'm Ash Ketchum from _Pallet Town_! And you're gonna give this gym back to Misty and her sisters!"

"And why would _I_ do a thing like that! I bought this gym fair-and-square!"

"No you didn't…" said a voice coming from a room further inside the gym. She stepped closer into the sunlight…revealing herself to be Violet. Daisy emerged soon after. "We did some research…and through investigative study…"

Violet held out several dollar bills in front of her chest, and tore them up into a million tiny pieces. She continued, "...the money you used to buy the gym…was totally fake!"

Tucker looked miffed, "Ugh…how did you..."

Misty's jaw dropped and her face turned gray. "_Since when did my sisters become so…smart?"_ she thought.

Daisy winked, "Thanks Ash! Now that you're here, you gave us the courage to stand up to Tucker!"

But Misty interjected, "Hey I'm here too!"

"Of course! Sorry Misty…" Daisy recovered, "Now Tucker…the jigs up!"

Tucker seemed to be trapped in a corner. "So what! It's not like your precious water-type Pokemon can maintain a gym! They are pathetic, putrid, disgusting, vile, weak, ugly creatures! And they couldn't win a battle if their lives depended on it!"

Misty and her sisters were shaken at Tucker's comments. Ash wanted to say something, but he knew Misty was ready to bad-mouth Tucker at any given moment. He waited. But Misty just dropped to her knees in distress.

"Misty! Are you just gonna let him talk like that! I know you Misty…and there's nothing more important to you than water-types!"

"…_except one thing…" _Misty thought.

"Misty!" Ash continued.

"Be quiet Ash! You've already made it perfectly clear that you don't want me traveling with you again!"

This statement by Misty definitely took Ash by surprise. "Misty…what are you talking about?"

Tucker thought this was a good time to cut in, "What's wrong boy? Is your girlfriend _so_ weak that she can't even stand up by herself?"

The rage inside Ash could no longer be held in. "That's enough Tucker! I challenge you to a match! The winner gets to keep the gym!" Ash retorted.

"Ash…" Misty gave him a glare.

"Don't worry Misty…I'll beat him," Ash said securely, "He hurt your sisters…he hurt water Pokemon…and most of all…he hurt _you_! "

**To Be Continued**

I don't know if you noticed...but the story drastically changed. For the better I hope!

Anyways...I'm glad that I'm finally done with this chapter. It was really short and had _way_ too much dialogue.

I have already finished Chapter 4. So if you want to see it soon...please review! I'm having a hard time getting reviews so even a single-word response would suffice!

PS: I hope that the characters are not too much OOC.

Gotta Catch Ya Later…


	4. The Heart of a Water Pokemon

Ash and Tucker took their places on opposing sides of the water arena. Though water Pokemon were completely removed from the gym's battle scheme, the swimming pool still remained assembled and undamaged.

"Hey boy!" Tucker called out for Ash. "That's a mighty fine Pikachu you got there…the swift and robust qualities of an electric-type! That's _my_ kind of Pokemon!"

The Pikachu on his shoulder was about to respond with one of his happy 'pika's!' until Ash shushed him.

"Don't let him flatter you, Pikachu…he's enemy numero uno," Ash reminded him.

Pikachu snapped out of it and went back to glowering at Tucker as he drew sparks from his cheeks, signaling to Ash that he was ready for battle. But Ash pulled him back.

"Daisy…Violet…Lily…can you one of you lend me a water Pokemon for me to use?" Ash asked serenely, though he did not look at them as he centered all his attention to Tucker.

Although he preferred any, Daisy was the only one to break free from the anguish that came from Tucker's previous comments. "A water po…sure. Which one?"

"It doesn't matter…just get one please."

Violet returned to the room she once was and rushed back in no less than five seconds. But during that short span, the suspense continued to rise as Ash maintained his 'tough-guy' demeanor.

"Here Ash…catch!" Violet warned as she pitched Ash a pokeball.

Ash caught the ball smoothly in one hand and motioned it to Tucker. "The Pokemon in this ball will prove to you that water Pokemon are _not_ what you say they are! I swear I'm gonna kick your…"

But Ash's tirade was interrupted with the sound of three powerful vacuums that began to consume the pool water at an alarming rate.

"Hey what are you doing? This isn't fair!" Ash retaliated, seeing his environmental advantage drain away into the enormous battery-powered hoses.

"My gym, my rules." Tucker countered, playing with the ends of his mustache like a toy only he would find amusing.

Ash consented to the cheater, however, believing this battle would be short no matter how much of a disadvantage he had. He _did _place in the top 8 of the Hoenn League after all. Although Ash didn't win the grand prize, there was no way he could lose to some unknown man whose resum'e probably wasn't nearly as polished as the scalp on his shiny bald head. Any Pokemon Tucker owned couldn't possibly be _that_ good.

"Go Venusaur!" Tucker shouted as a giant plant creature surfaced from his pokeball.

"A-A…Venusaur?!" Ash said in surprise. "Well…this is gonna be a challenge!" Ash winded up his arm after flipping his cap around as he announced, "Pokemon, I choose you!"

The pokeball hit the ground of the empty pool and a beam of white light shot out of it as it opened. The light began to form its shape as Ash was about to discover what kind of Pokemon he was going to battle with. The Pokemon now started to reveal some color as it shouted its battle cry. All the sisters – including the broken-spirited Misty – reacted with a single throat-drying gasp and Ash pulled on his hair in pure frustration when they saw that the surprise pokeball contained…a Psyduck.

Daisy stepped onto a platform to perform her duties as gym referee. "This match will be between Tucker's Venusaur...and Ash's Psyduck! The winner of this match will retain the Cerulean Gym!"

"Why!? Why oh why!? Any Pokemon but Psyduck!" Ash gritted his teeth as he was on the verge of crying.

Depending on how a person might look at it, the absence of water wasn't a disadvantage for Ash after all. Water would have to mean swimming. And swimming wasn't exactly Psyduck's forte. As long as Psyduck wasn't immobilized – as he would with water – Ash might have a chance.

"Is that the almighty water Pokemon that's going to teach me a lesson?" said Tucker sarcastically, "Oh…I'm scared to my knees!" The Venusaur was also laughing.

Ash gave a heavy sigh. He knew that he needed to cope with Psyduck if he ever planned on winning.

"Psyduck! I'm gonna need you to battle, okay?" Ash said very slowly in order to make Psyduck understand.

Psyduck just replied with a tilt of the head. Ash face-faulted.

"Psyduck! Look over there!" Ash pointed to a helpless-looking Misty, "If you won't do it for me...then do it for her! Okay?"

The confused Pokemon narrowed his eyes implying that he was at least willing to battle as he confronted the Venusaur. Although Psyduck was a dunce and a wimp, he would do anything to make Misty happy. Ash was relieved that Psyduck was listening, but he was still worried about the difference in strength between the two Pokemon.

"Venusaur, use your earthquake attack!" Tucker said gleefully, looking forward to pulverizing a weak water-type with his supreme grass-type.

The earthquake created fissures on the pool floor, and also made an intense vibration that punished the ears. Ash was trying his hardest to cover his ears with his gloved palms as Psyduck was just trying to regain his balance. But Psyduck simply could not stamp his feet on the ground as he fell backward on his head, almost cracking the skull. The magnitude of the earthquake started to lighten up as tears poured out from Psyduck's eyes. To further his humiliation, he held on to the bruise with both of his hands and started running in circles.

"Misty you have to help me! Please..." Ash asked nervously.

But Misty was in too much distress to respond. It seemed like it was over…until Psyduck's eyes emitted a blue light.

Daisy intruded into Ash's strategy, "Ash…Psyduck has a headache!"

Ash smirked, "Alright…Psyduck use your confusion!"

Just that moment, Tucker's Venusaur was lifted by a psychic power that extended up to fifty feet. The psychic power that supported Venusaur's massive weight suddenly dispersed, letting the nature of gravity complete the finishing move. _Boom_.

"Yikes…my Venusaur!" Tucker squealed out as the tables have turned on him. "Get up! Get up!"

The Venusaur was badly hurt, but the encouragements of its trainer were enough to motivate it to stand.

"Let's go Psyduck! One more time…" Ash was enjoying himself. He had always admired Psyduck's inner strength, but Misty was always the one who battled with it. He thought it was a nice change for him to battle with the Psyduck that he was so accustomed to seeing.

But Tucker did not panic. Instead, he smiled. "Hold it right there!"

Ash and Psyduck stopped their movements to hear what he had to say.

Tucker continued, "Confusion is a psychic move. If you beat me with a _psychic_ move, you'd be proving absolutely nothing to me about water-types!"

Ash knew Tucker was just stalling his defeat. "You…you coward!" Ash spat out.

"Well I wouldn't blame ya if you attacked me now…seeing how useless water moves are!"

Although the ownership of the Cerulean gym was in jeopardy, it seemed that Tucker's approval for water-types was Ash's first priority. "Grr…have it your way! I'll just beat ya the old fashioned way!" Ash decided. "Psyduck, water gun!"

Psyduck opened its mouth and a small trickle of water poured out that wouldn't even harm a weedle. Ash face-faulted.

"Ash what are you doing!" Misty finally chose to speak. "You missed your chance at the gym! You should have used confusion!"

Ash sneered at Misty's remark, "No way. This guy wants to be beaten by water? Then I'll beat him by water! He said that water-types were 'weak' and 'ugly' in front of your face! So I've decided I'll beat him with what he hates most!"

Misty's eyes widened. _"Why is he so hung up on water-types all of a sudden? He's never shown this much appreciation for them before? Unless…he's doing this all for me! It's not that he all of a sudden adores water Pokemon, it's because he knows how much _I _love them! So he's not battling for the sake of the gym…and it's not that he's trying to get rid of me…he's battling for the sake of my feelings!"_ Misty thought. She was finally able to decipher something in Ash's thick head.

Then Venusaur used razor leaf on Psyduck and the green projectiles sliced through his skin quite easily.

"_Damn Tucker. That explains why he likes Pikachu…and why he has a Venusaur…because they both have an advantage against water-types!"_ Ash thought.

Ash realized that he was on the losing side now…and the only way he could win was not the way he wanted. But there were no other options. It didn't make sense to lose both his principles _and_ the gym.

"I guess…we'll have to use confusion…" Ash whispered to himself.

"Ash wait!" Misty was standing on her feet now, enlightened and full of confidence. "Tell Psyduck to use his water pulse attack!"

Ash nodded. "Psyduck! Use water pulse now!"

Psyduck still had the strength to stand as a big blue sphere of water began to build up in his beak. The sphere was growing bigger and bigger until it reached about the same size as his head. When it couldn't grow any larger, the stored amount of water was launched directly at Venusaur at high-speed. When it hit, the impact of the sphere immediately pushed Venusaur into Tucker's body and into the hard wall of the gym. The glasses that hid Tucker's eyes were knocked away and Misty let out a gasp when she recognized who he _really_ was.

**To Be Continued**

Wow I really hate writing battle sequences. It's no wonder not much people do it in their Ash/Misty fics.

Also, what is Tucker's alter-ego?

The next one is the last one...so look out for it!

Gotta Catch Ya Later...


	5. Dreams Shared

"Venusaur is unable to battle…the winner of this match goes to Ash Ketchum and his Psyduck!" Daisy announced, as she wiped a drip of sweat from her forehead.

"Daisy, look at his eye!" Misty pointed at Tucker.

"I don't believe it!"

"What's goin' on? What about his eye?" said Ash, hoping to be enlightened of Misty's newfound knowledge.

During that time, Tucker was trying to untangle himself from the jumble that consisted of him and his Pokemon. By the time he pulled himself free, he returned his Venusaur into its pokeball.

"How is this possible? Beaten…by a water-type?" Tucker was on his knees with his palms pressed on the ground.

Ash stepped closer to the grieving Tucker and held out his hand in sportsmanship. But Tucker ignored it as he stopped his sulking and stood up on his own.

"The gym now belongs to Misty and her sisters. Go away and never come back!" Ash said in annoyance.

But Misty rushed over to say something, "Wait Ash! I need to ask him a question…"

Tucker winced at Misty's request as he tried to sneak away. But Violet and Lily ran behind him and grabbed him by his arms, stopping him in his tracks. Misty stared into one of his eyes that intrigued her. His metallic eye.

"Are you…Professor Leonard Spruce? The once famous water Pokemon expert?" Misty asked, raising her eyebrow.

Tucker gave a laugh and a shrug. "Well, it looks like you know your history kid…"

Then Ash entered abruptly, "Water Pokemon expert? But this guy hates water Pokemon!"

"That's what I thought, too…" Misty said, scratching her head. "Care to explain to us 'Professor'."

The professor gave Misty a lazy look. "No…"

But Violet and Lily tightened their grip on his arms that seemed to cause soreness to the middle-aged man's body. "…Alright! Alright! I'll talk! Just stop hurting me!"

As he was freed from their grasps, he grimaced as he had to massage his arms until the redness disappeared. Ash opened his ears as he knew an exciting story was about to be told. While Misty just crossed her arms… anticipating an explanation for his fraud-name.

"Well…it was long ago. Before any of you were born…"

.::.

**20 years ago…**

**Professor Leonard Spruce was a hard-working student under the famous teacher Professor Oak.**

.::.

"Professor Oak?" Ash interrupted.

"Shut up Ash! Let him finish!" warned Misty, as she clasped her hand over his mouth.

Through Ash's muffled words, Professor Spruce cleared his throat. "…As I was saying…"

.::.

**Spruce majored in the department of water Pokemon and later on served as Professor Oak's assistant in experiments and studies that involved water. He enjoyed his job as he also enjoyed water Pokemon. It was his career decision and he thought he would be doing this for the rest of his life. He continued to specialize in the field of water until he broke out of Professor Oak's shadow and became one of the top experts known around the world. Then came a time where Spruce was doing a study on Kingler and how they manage their habitats deep under the ocean. He witnessed a group of Kingler going underwater at a beach and he took the opportunity to follow them in his scuba suit. But on his way down, the sea started to become darker as the Kingler continued to swim deeper. It was until it was completely dark when he realized that his air tank has been breached. He thought the best decision was to take off the suit and swim upwards without the additional weight. But as soon as he removed his helmet, a swarm of Kingler approached him and used their pinchers to attack. Unfortunately, one of them was able to reach his eye and…take it away. He was still able to save his other eye as he made his way to the shore.**

.::.

"I knew it! I've read about that incident in a book before!" Misty alluded. "And there was also a dilemma about your metallic eye interfering with your work. But you announced that you've abandoned your research and promised that you'd never touch the sea again."

Professor Spruce just nodded at her accuracy.

"So he claimed a different name and winded up here 20 years later," Ash added.

"Now that everything's cleared…I'll be on my way!" said the professor, as he attempted to crawl to his escape.

But Violet and Lily were not giving him any easy chances as they each grabbed onto one of his legs.

"You're crazy if you think we're gonna let you go!" Lily spewed.

"Yeah! We can turn you in to the police, you know?!" Violet included.

"No! Anything but that!" the professor squealed in fear.

They all sat there for a moment, thinking of what to do with their little prisoner.

But suddenly Misty thought of something from a completely different matter, "Hey I just thought of something! What about our poor win-lose ratio? We'll need to win a lot of battles to turn that around!" inquired Misty.

Then Daisy thought of the perfect solution. "Then as your punishment…you'll have to give us lessons. You'll teach me, Violet, and Lily everything you know about water Pokemon. You'll teach us how to take care of them, how to feed them, and how to battle with them too. That doesn't sound like much for a water Pokemon expert like you, does it?"

Professor Spruce nodded at once, as he would agree to anything that didn't involve the law.

Daisy winked at Misty as she purposely didn't include her name. But Ash didn't seem to notice the omission.

"This it great!" thrilled Ash as he faced Misty. "You'll be studying with a world-famous water Pokemon expert! This is the opportunity of a lifetime Misty!"

Misty was briefly stricken with sadness, as she just nodded. "Yeah…I guess so."

"You guess so? You're going to be the best Misty! You'll finally be able to live your dream as a water Pokemon master!"

"Ash…"

Then Ash's excitement began to dwindle. "Misty…traveling together again would have been great…but you have to do this! I'm not gonna take 'no' for an answer…because it's for the best..."

Misty was silent, trying to maintain a dry face.

"G'bye Misty. Someday, I swear, we will meet again…" Ash didn't feel it was necessary to stick around any longer, so he lowered his cap to cover his eyes and barreled toward the exit.

Misty was left by Ash – again – with only her three sisters and the professor at her side. Daisy gave Misty a dark stare that told her to follow him. Then Psyduck – still out of its pokeball – gave Misty an identical stare that granted her the realization that it was now or never.

"I'm sorry professor…but I'm going to have to pass on those lessons of yours," said Misty, as she raised herself up to chase after Ash.

Daisy just smiled as she saw her little sister run out the door, all grown up. Everybody in the gym looked out the window and exchanged a goodbye with Misty as she looked back at them.

Meanwhile Ash was just a couple of blocks away, riding on his mom's bicycle with Pikachu climbed atop his head. He stopped his bike when he decided to take one last glance at the Cerulean City gym before he made his stride to Pallet Town. He just stared in space for a few seconds as he took a deep breath. He pictured the image of a girl coming back to him with red hair that stood out to its surroundings. She was riding on a bicycle and was getting closer and closer by the second. But as soon as he heard the ringing bell that came from her bike, he realized she was not in his imagination after all. It was the real thing!

"Misty?" Ash replied.

"Ash Ketchum! Since when did you learn to talk to me so boldly! I'm coming with you and that's that!" Misty pouted as she walked by Ash and grabbed him by his shirt to keep up.

"B-But Misty! Your dream…" Ash's confident voice turned into mush.

"No, staying at the gym is not for me. If I want to be a water pokemon master, I'll have to gain experience and capture more Pokemon." Misty explained.

"What if we get in each other's way? Maybe we should go on separate journeys so…"

But Misty cut him off looking annoyed, "I'm getting the feeling that you don't want to see me again."

"No it's not that! We'll see each other again…"

"When will that be, Ash!" Misty erupted. "I'm not just one of your Pokemon that you could release and _hope_ to see again! When was the last time you saw your Primeape? Or your Pidgeot?"

"Awhile…I guess…" said Ash, realizing his faults.

Misty's face softened a bit. "Besides, you can't be trusted by yourself…"

She refrained from facing Ash to face Pikachu and rubbed the back of his ears.

"…Right Pikachu?" Misty asked, remembering a time where Pikachu chose to return to Ash instead of staying with his own kind.

"Are you sure about this, Misty?"

Misty gave a tired sigh. "How about actually achieving _your_ dream before worrying about mine?"

"_My_ dream?"

"Your dream to become a Pokemon master, duh! I've seen your matches from the Hoenn League on TV, and you know _very_ well that you can't win without _my_ coaching…" Misty gave Ash a wide grin.

Ash shrugged in annoyance. Then Misty placed her hand on his shoulder and he felt a strange sensation flow throughout his body.

"You see Ash…our dreams are shared…I want you to succeed just as you want me to succeed…"

"I suppose..."

Misty continued, "So you'll teach me and I'll teach you. That way...we will accomplish both our dreams together!"

"I've just never thought of it like that before…"

"And also…I want to be the first one to congratulate you when you win that trophy." Misty winked.

Ash had given up. _"There's nothing I can do…Misty's back and she's back for good. Oh no…she'll tease me everyday! I'll have to see her everyday! I'll have to talk to her everyday! I'll have to wake up to her everyday! I'll have to see her battle everyday! I'll have to see her smile everyday! I'll have to look at her everyday! And I couldn't be happier! She's back! She's finally back..."_

"We should get going Ash! Your mom is probably waiting for us!" Misty snapped Ash out of his trance.

Ash just smiled and a tear was able to escape from the shield of his cap. Misty saw this and there were tears in her eyes as well. She couldn't hide her feelings anymore. She couldn't pretend that this was nothing.

"Oh Ash! I missed you!" said Misty, as she put her arms around his neck and gripped tightly.

Ash was taken by surprise and the warm feeling from Misty's hug caused Ash's legs to wobble. "I missed y-"

But Ash's response was cut short as his legs collapsed and they both fell flat on the sidewalk. This startled Pikachu as he let loose a strong thunderbolt that hit Ash, Misty, and more unfortunately…the bikes.

"Mom's bike! Oh she's gonna kill me…" Ash blurted out, until he gaped at the damage Misty's bike had taken...or what _used_ to be Misty's bike.

"Ash, forget everything that I said! The _real_ reason I'm traveling with you again is because you owe me another bike!"

**THE END**

It's finally finished! I hope it didn't seemed rushed because I just couldn't wait to finish this and start something else.

Okay, raise your hand if you thought Tucker was going to be Misty's father. I _was_ going to do that…but a father that abuses his daughters is not something I want to incorporate in this. Instead I just created an OC. Also, I felt that I made Misty too _sensitive, _so I just made her take over in the end.

Ash and Misty are also together again! (not in a love way though)

Did anybody notice the reference to the first theme song, when Misty says, "You'll teach me and I'll teach you." I hope it didn't look forced in there. :D

The next story (title on my profile) will be my first AAMR with actual romance! I've thought of the idea already and it's much better than this one.

Gotta Catch Ya Later…


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